Thursday, July 26, 2012

Many Brooklyn residents have attended the information forums about the $40 million, 2,499-seat Fieldhouse/ Velodrome proposed for Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Fieldhouse has been described as a community recreation center, with an indoor bike riding track as its centerpiece.

But it's not as simple as that, skeptics say. Peter Flemming, co-chair of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Community Council and a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Park Corporation told the Brooklyn Eagle that the Fieldhouse is actually a "specialized velodrome masquerading as a community recreation center — and it doesn’t belong in Brooklyn Bridge Park."

It seems that competitive track racing is not what most people think of as bicycle racing. Competitors ride special fixed-gear bikes without brakes, and must travel at least 16 miles an hour to avoid tipping over on curves that bank 45 degrees or more.

"Why help the city build a huge stadium — one of only two in the country — in a tiny waterfront park for this quaint, obscure, bizarre sport?” Flemming asks.

Greg Brooks, executive director of New York City Fieldhouse Inc., argues that the entire community will make use of the facility, and says it will save Brooklyn Bridge Park a ton of money. Read what he has to say here.

Was watching a video about the LA velodrome. Nothing against velodromes, but it does seem a bit odd for this particular setting. But Chicken Underwear may have the right idea -- it will bring traffic to the hotel. Is that the goal here?

The outdoor velodrome in Queens gets very busy all year round and is a big hit.

Not for nothing, but this article gives some history: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/velodrome-tradition-lives-on-in-queens/ Of course, it's in the NY Times so don't believe everything you read (even if it's not by Judith Miller)

There is also this article:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/nyregion/bikers-dream-of-turning-bronx-armory-into-a-velodrome.html

The outdoor Kissena velodrome in Queens is in a park 4 times bigger than BB Park, and which is connected to Corona Park which is maybe 20 times bigger than BB Park. This Brooklyn velodrome is like dropping the Star Ship Enterprise onto a mini-golf course.

A velodrome is what it is in terms of size. Perhaps it's not appropriate location!, but so is a hotel inappropriate, as is a private wine bar, restaurant, volleyball courts and the extent do flora and fauna that looks pretty but takes away from useable space and blocks views. To each their own. And frankly I wouldn't put a pool by the water, and if I become Mayor, my first blow is to know down "Jane's" Carousel (LaGuardia's strikes against pinball machines will seem mild by comparison).

Chicken Underwear, according to the Star Trek Volumetrics website, the volume of the Enterprise is estimated to be 211,248 cubic meters, or 7,460,152 cubic feet. That means the BB Park velodrome is big.http://www.st-v-sw.net/STSWvolumetrics.html